


The (Semi-Failed) Seducing of Kozume Kenma

by trash__universe



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Established Bokuto/Kuroo, Excessive Cursing, First Kiss, M/M, Multi, Oblivious Kenma, Seduction, White Knight Akaashi, but then it gets better, dadchi, momma suga, or as seductive as two idiots can be, shit sort of hits the fan, starts as a competition, turns into mutual crushing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-02-20
Packaged: 2018-05-16 04:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5815066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trash__universe/pseuds/trash__universe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started as a competition between Bokuto and Kuroo - who could get Kenma to kiss them first before the end of training camp. Then Akaashi just couldn't let it go; he wouldn't let Kenma's first kiss be from one of those two idiots.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Then There Were Three

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so this is my first time writing Akaashi. Let me know what you think.

It all started as a competition between Bokuto and Kuroo - who could get Kenma to kiss them first before the end of training camp. They had been dating for a while, Boku and Kuroo that was, but they liked doing things like this, the competition spiced up their love life. Everything seemed to be going well for them, until it really wasn’t. Neither boy had expected to run into the problem that was Hinata Shoyou. The short spiker was all over their cat-like object of affection, stealing his attention during meals and free training. The worst was that Kenma put his game away and actually acted like he was enjoying Hinata’s attention. 

Which all lead to their second road block - Akaashi Keiji. Bokuto was a loud mouth on a good day, something that everyone knew. But honestly? He was much worse when he wasn’t getting his way. He ran his mouth to anyone that would listen, telling them about how unfair it was that Kenma would rarely even look at him, but he smiled - SMILED - at Hinata. After a few hours of that, Akaashi was ready to flat out slit Boku’s throat if it would get the boy to shut up for more than the two seconds it took him to take a breath. 

“Why does it even matter, Boku? Just go to bed.” Akaashi grumbled from his sleeping bag. It was late, most of Fukurodani had already retired, but unfortunately the Vice-Captain had been placed right next to the Ace. 

“Because I have to get Kenma to kiss me before Kuroo does!” The tone was childlike, almost pouty. Bokuto didn’t like losing, but he really didn’t like losing to Kuroo. The other boy just got so smug about it, and he wasn’t above gloating. 

Akaashi sat straight up in bed, eyes straining to glare at Bokuto in the dark room. “You’re doing what now?” He usually wasn’t a white knight or anything, and Kenma definitely wasn’t a damsel in distress, but he was very much of the opinion that this whole plan wasn’t a good idea. 

Bokuto sighed, he clearly thought Akaashi hadn’t heard him, so he sat up, leaning closer to speak. “Kuroo and I have a contest going to see who can get Kenma kisses first.” He explained again, a duh-tone in his voice. 

Akaashi crossed his arms over his chest. “Bokuto Koutarou, I swear, if you don’t leave Nekoma’s setter alone, you’re absolutely going to regret it.” His voice was scolding, his mouth set into a deep frown. Everyone who knew Kenma knew what he was like. He was quiet, kept mostly to himself, had issues with anxiety that he thought nobody knew about. “We’re here to train, not to sexually harass members of other teams.” 

“Akaashi! We won’t harass Kenma!” Bokuto replied loudly, eyes wide at the accusation. Several sleeping teammates groaned at the noise, a couple telling him to shut the hell up already. 

Akaashi gave him a pointed look. “Having a competition with your boyfriend to see who can seduce someone first isn’t you intending to sexually harass someone?” The vice-captain could see his over zealous friend really wasn’t going to drop this though. He looked too determined to “defeat” Kuroo at their little game. “Fine, do what you want.” Akaashi plopped back down, snuggling into his sleeping bag. 

“We’ll be nice to Kenma, promise!” Bokuto smiled and laid down too. “Thanks for not pushing this, Akaashi.” 

“Oh, I’m not letting this slide. I thoroughly intend to stop both of you.” Akaashi replied simply, receiving a panicked “What?!” in return from the owl-haired boy. “Good night, Bokuto.” 

Bokuto laid their gaping for a minute. Oh, Kuroo was not going to like this. Akaashi usually kept to himself, kind of like Kenma but in a more humble, here to help you if you really need it sort of way and not in a “get out of my face, I’m trying to beat this level” sort of way. But his vice-captain could be fierce, especially when he was trying to stop Bokuto from doing something stupid. 

Bokuto shot a text to Kuroo before he finally settled down to sleep. 

>>To: Kuroo <3 <3   
>>>We may have a problem. 

 

Breakfast was a lively event. Several teams of high school volleyball players all in the same room? The walls echoed with sound as they all talked among each other, mixing up and not really sitting with their teammates. Which is exactly how Kuroo found Kenma, sandwiched between Akaashi Keiji and Hinata Shoyou. 

The text he’d woken up to hadn’t been pleasant. Bokuto wasn’t really the most observant of people, so if he thought they had a problem, then it was probably glaringly obvious. And glaring it was, right at Kuroo from across the table when he sat down, almost like the raven haired setter was telling him to fuck off with only his eyes. He honestly wondered why Akaashi cared so much, but he was also completely convinced that the second year had a little bit of white knight syndrome. 

“And then the ball was like WOOSH!” Hinata bounced in the seat beside Kenma, hands shooting up in the air animatedly. Kuroo idly wondered if the orange haired boy drank coffee, or if all of his seemingly limitless came naturally. Judging by the cup of orange juice in front of him, Kuroo was going to go with naturally. 

Kenma nodded along with Hinata’s story, one hand on his game while the other held a piece of toast. 

“Good morning, Kenma.” Kuroo purred across the table, leaning in to rest his chin on his hands. “You were up early today.” Usually the dyed blonde was up after everyone else, complaining about wanting to stay in bed, and that he could really skip breakfast, it wasn’t that important. Then Kuroo would drag his skinny little ass out of bed and to breakfast, because he’d be damned if his setter played through at least three matches without eating. 

“Kuroo.” Kenma glanced up from his game. “Shoyou wanted to go for a jog before breakfast.” He answered simply, before going back to the console in his hand. 

Now, that blindsided the raven haired Captain. Kenma? Up before eight? To jog of all things? That didn’t add up one bit. “Excuse me?” He cocked an eyebrow, eyes going between Kenma and Hinata. “You went for a jog? Willingly?” He snorted at the idea - it was totally impossible.

Hinata laughed, a big smile plastered on his face. “No! Kenma just watched me jog around the gym. He said,” Shoyou pulled a face here, trying to look as neutral as the setter did naturally. “‘Jogging is far too much effort, Shoyou.’ And then he tried to go back to bed, but I convinced him that he could just watch me jog, because I hate being lonely and stuff, and play his new game, so he ended up coming anyways.” Then Hinata went back to eating and storytelling and waving his hands around like a loon. It was amusing, but it sort of pissed Kuroo off when Shoyou could pull those little hints of a smile from Kenma. 

Those were supposed to only belong to him. They used to, back when he and Kenma were kids. Kuroo was understandably jealous when the hyperactive spiker could pull them left and right. It was downright annoying. 

Suddenly, his boyfriend plopped down in the seat beside him, immediately bumping his head against Kuroo’s shoulder before he started eating. Bokuto was clearly avoiding looking at Akaashi, humming as if that would distract the vice-captain from his plan to stop them from flirting with Kenma. 

When Hinata finally shut up for a moment, Bokuto spoke up. “Good morning, Kenma!” The large smile pulled through to his words, making him sound more like an excited puppy than the owl people were always comparing him to. “Is that a new game? What is it?” 

Kenma didn’t even look up, just nodding in Bokuto’s general direction, but that seemed to be enough for the grey and black haired Ace. “It’s Animal Crossing.” The setter mumbled after a minute, seeming to be distracted by something. After a moment, he closed his game, turning to Hinata. “My battery is almost dead.” 

Hinata hopped up, having finished his breakfast already. “Let’s go plug it in, if we hurry we won’t be late.” Kenma nodded, standing too. He gave the trio remaining at the table a little wave before letting himself be led off by Shoyou, the orange haired boy chatting his ear off the whole way. 

The table suddenly became tense when it was only Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi remaining. 

Kuroo leaned over the table, eyes narrowing slightly. “How much do you want?” He asked Akaashi. 

The other raven haired boy looked bewildered for a moment, eyebrows smushed together in confusion. “What are you talking about?” 

“Kenma.” Kuroo rolled his eyes, Akaashi wasn’t making this easy for him. “How much do you want to back off?” 

Akaashi looked dumb-struck for a moment before he rose to his feet, hands firmly planting on the table. “Kuroo are you trying to _bribe_ me to keep me from stopping you two?” He looked absolutely furious, and just the look on his face was enough to make Bokuto physically lean back out of his reach. It looked like his Vice-Captain wanted to strangle them. It was terrifying. 

“Uh, yes, that was the plan.” 

“Kuroo! He’s your best friend.” Akaashi took his voice down a few decibels when he noticed people staring. He wasn’t really trying to create a scene, he didn’t want the other teams to know what was going on, that would be bad. 

“All the more reason that I should be his first kiss, Akaashi.” Kuroo rose from his seat, slamming his hands on the table just as the other boy had done, leaning in so their faces were mere inches apart. Bokuto happily stayed to himself. Nope, there was no reason for him to hop in, not when the two men were clashing like this. Nope, nope. 

“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Akaashi scoffed, eyes narrowing. 

“It is not.” Kuroo huffed in reply. 

“You’re both being idiots.” Akaashi growled finally, standing upright. Then he threw his hands in the air. “Oh, I forgot, you’re always idiots.” 

“That’s not true, Akaashi!” Bokuto hopped to his feet, eyes wide and offended, Akaashi could be mean, but he usually didn’t resort to name calling. The way his vice-captain had said it made his stomach twist. Did his friend really think he was an idiot? 

Kuroo’s hand came to rest on Bokuto’s back, rubbing it softly as if to tell him to brush it off. Akaashi was just mad and really didn’t mean it. 

“If we’re such idiots, then it shouldn’t be a problem for a nice, sweet guy like you to beat us to Kenma’s first kiss.” Kuroo taunted, mouth curved into a smirk. He’d stuck Akaashi in a hard place. He could step down, not take Kuroo’s challenge, but that was almost like he was admitting that he was wrong, or that he didn’t think he could get Kenma to kiss him. Or, he could step up, take the challenge, and join in on the plan that he’d set out to stop. 

In the end, his need to win took over. “Fine, but only because Kenma deserves to be kissed by a nice guy his first time, not one of you two jerks.” And with that, Akaashi turned on his heel, storming from the cafeteria. 

Kuroo took his place back down at the table, eyes glittering mischievously as he looked to Bokuto. “Let the games begin.” He chuckled. His boyfriend looked a little apprehensive now, maybe because Akaashi calling him an idiot was still chipping away at him, but he nodded. He’d stick to his plan, get on his game, and kiss the boy.


	2. Poison in the Waterhole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo and Bokuto are acting weird - Kenma notices.

After breakfast, things seemed to turn a little weird for Kenma. He was used to Kuroo hanging off of him, talking right in his ear even if he wasn't really paying attention to what was being said. Kuroo had been like that even when they were kids. But, today, Kuroo was being particularly clingy and the things he was saying when he thought Kenma had zoned out were just _weird_. 

Like when he said his new shorts made his legs look great . Kenma had almost exploded from the rapid speed at which the blood rushed to his cheeks. He actually punched Kuroo for that one, though it had been more because he was embarrassed than him actually being mad. He found it hard to be mad at Kuroo, even when he was being an idiot. 

When he stormed away from his captain, Bokuto of all people was suddenly beside him, looking all concerned. At first, Kenma had expected him to ask why exactly he’d punched Kuroo - since Bokuto was his boyfriend and all - but then he just asked if Kenma was okay. Which was also weird. Beyond weird. This whole day was just fucking _weird_. 

But Bokuto just wouldn’t let it go until Kenma had assured him that he was fine and that he just overreacted a bit to something stupid his best friend had said. Even then, Bokuto didn’t leave. 

“Well, what did he say?” Bokuto asked, a tender smile on his usually wild face. Kenma idly wondered what had the older boy so docile that day. Usually Bokuto had a habit of bouncing off the walls like he’d had two pots of coffee in the morning, though Kenma knew that Bokuto’s energy came naturally, like Shoyou’s.

Kenma mumbled his reply, because he couldn’t really bring himself to tell Bo that it was none of his business, especially since he was being so nice and it actually seemed like he was trying to make him feel better. “He said my shorts make my legs look really great.” Which sounded like it should be a compliment, but Kenma knew just how big of a pervert Kuroo could really be. 

Bokuto took a step back, eyes narrowing slightly as he looked Kenma up and down, considering what Kuroo had said to him. Kenma noticed the mischievous eyes lingering on his butt a little more than was entirely appropriate, but the staring stopped after he squirmed uncomfortably. “But they do make your legs look great. Have you been doing squats?” 

Kenma opened his mouth, gaping like a fish momentarily before he snapped his mouth shut again. “B-Bokuto! That’s…” He was flustered again. He almost felt like punching Bokuto, too. But then the silver haired boy gave him one of those giant smiles and his eyes lit up excitedly. He couldn’t punch someone that reminded him so much of a little kid at a candy shop. 

“It’s okay, Kenma! I do squats all the time, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Bokuto tried to assure him, not really understanding completely what the dyed blonde was flustered about. “In fact, squats are a great exercise if you’re trying to jump higher! Oh! Oh! Oh! Maybe we could do our squats together, later, if you’re embarrassed.” 

Kenma wanted to beat his own head into the wall, because that was so not what this was about, but Bo was just so excited, like he’d come up with the best idea of the century. After withstanding the hopeful look Bokuto was giving him, Kenma finally just decided to let the older boy have his way. “Sure, I guess that’s okay. Just uhm..” He sighed. “Stop staring at my legs, okay?” 

“But, Kenma!” Bokuto was suddenly very much in his personal space, which made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Then next words were in a purred tone, something he expected from Kuroo, but not really from Bokuto. “They’re far too pretty to just ignore.” Then he _winked_ at Kenma. _Fucking winked._ Before he could reply, Bokuto was being called over to start his next game, and the silver haired boy waved at the dyed blonde as he ran off. 

 

 

When lunch time rolled around, Kenma had been sure to pull on his warm-up pants before he headed to the cafeteria. He really didn’t need anyone else telling him how _great_ his legs looked. He was aiming to sit with Shoyou, but the ginger was already squeezed between Kageyama and their little blonde manager. Her name slipped his mind, but she really was pretty cute. 

“Kenma, come sit with me.” Weird must have been the theme of the day, because when the dyed blonde turned to figure out where the voice had come from, he saw Akaashi sitting a few tables away, hand held up in a small wave. Bokuto was by his side, talking with Kuroo who was on the other side of him. Great. Just the people he’d been planning on avoiding. 

But he liked Akaashi, so apparently this was a sacrifice he was just willing to make. He sat down across from the trio, but made sure he was right in front of the other setter, since he really didn’t want to be forced to hear more about his legs. 

“How’s camp going for you?” Akaashi asked conversationally before taking a bite out of the rice ball in his hands. Kenma was relieved that the question was actually normal. Akaashi wasn’t really known for being as strange as Bokuto, but with Bo and Kuroo both acting the way they were, he suspected that there might be someone poisoning the water supply. 

Kenma shrugged. “It’s alright. I’ve been trying to work on my backwards sets, but I don’t think I’m getting it quite right sometimes.” He took a sip of his water before continuing. “I mean, my spikers always hit them, I’m just not sure I’m giving them exactly what they want all the time, you know?” And it would have been going better, really, if Bokuto and Kuroo hadn’t been acting so… You know what, he was going to try to stop calling things the “w” word in his head. They’d been acting oddly. 

“I could help you work on it during free training today. If you’d like that is.” Akaashi offered, smiling politely. Kenma loved out nice the raven haired boy always was. It was refreshing after all of Kuroo’s bullshit, not that he’d give up his best friend for anything in the world. 

“Kenma’s doing squats with me during free training!” Bokuto butted in defensively, as if he’d planned to do squats with the dyed blonde for the entire three hours of free training. Which was absolutely insane. Kenma was sure his legs would break off of the rest of his body and run away screaming at that point. 

Kuroo unfortunately hopped in before Kenma got a chance to say anything on the matter. “You’re doing squats with _Bokuto_ and didn’t invite me?” Kenma could have swore that his best friend was actually _pouting_. Kuroo didn’t pout. At least, not often. 

Being such a popular person was something Kenma really wasn’t used to, but apparently all three boys were intent on spending time with him during free training, if the two pouts and one questioning look were anything to go by. He sighed. This was so troublesome. 

He turned to Akaashi first. “I’d be very thankful if you’d help me with my sets.” Then he turned to Bokuto as the silver haired boy hopped up in protest. “Bokuto, I couldn’t possibly do squats for three hours straight. I won’t be able to walk in the morning if I do. We can do squats for the first few minutes, and then you can spike my sets, if you want.” The older boy looked very pleased with the compromise, though Kuroo was still pouting over being left out. 

“And what about me?” 

“Didn’t you promise to help Karasuno’s Tsukishima with his blocks?” Kenma sighed. 

“Well, yeah. He could really use the help.” Kuroo answered back and then he face palmed, cursing. He couldn’t be in two places at once. “But, how about Tsukishima and I practice blocking Bokuto’s spikes?” 

Kenma shrugged, he wasn’t opposed to the idea. “Sure.” 

Kuroo hopped up then, leaning over the table to grin at his best friend. “It’s a date then.” Kenma was too busy choking on his water to protest as his best friend walked away, grinning from ear to ear like the cat that got the… well, other cat in this situation. Kenma swore he was just going to knock Kuroo’s head off his shoulders one of these days, Captain or not. 

Akaashi cleared his throat, trying to break the tension that was now settling over the table. “So, he’s acting weird.” Kenma couldn’t hold back a laugh at that, a rare smile breaking out over his face. It made Akaashi smile too, along with Bokuto. They weren’t quite sure why the dyed blonde had thought that was so funny, but Kenma laughs were extremely rare, so they weren’t going to ruin the moment. 

 

 

The rest of the second day’s matches passed by in a blur. Nekoma only ended up losing two matches, which resulted in having to run sprints on the hill behind the gym. Kenma hated sprints, almost as much as he hated squats. He should have told Bokuto no when the older boy offered to do squats with him, but he had a hard time telling people no. 

It was tragic, really. 

Which was the reason why Kenma found himself taking so long to reach the gym the five of them had agreed to meet in. The longer he took, the more Kuroo would rush he and Bokuto through their squats, which meant he wouldn’t have to do as many. He was sort of banking on his best friend’s impatience. 

He’d even changed into a new pair of clothes, to waste time but also because he was really hoping these new shorts didn’t make his legs look quite so good. He’d borrowed them from Shoyou, who wore a size larger than he did, despite the fact that he was clearly shorter than Kenma. They were a nice light blue, ending a little high on his thighs, which sort of made him think that they were probably _girl’s_ shorts. They hung off his hips a bit, which meant he had to roll the waistband up into the fabric once to make them a bit tighter, so that they wouldn’t slip down. 

The only problem was that they were too short to wear with his boxer briefs, so Kenma had to just go with his jockstrap. Shoyou said he looked fine though, with the blue shorts and slightly baggy white v-neck, so he just went with it. The ginger hadn’t mentioned anything about his legs, so he figured they had to be at least a little bit better than the shorts he’d been wearing before. 

So what he wasn’t expecting when he walked into the gym was for four pairs of eyes to suddenly start staring at him. Kuroo’s jaw dropped slightly, which made Kenma squirm self consciously. Maybe the outfit change was a bad idea but it wasn’t like he could get out of that now. 

Bokuto rushed over, grabbing his hand, talking a mile a minute as he led them to a corner to do their squats. On the other side of the room, the remaining three males began talking. 

“Where the hell did he get _those_?” Kuroo whispered loudly. He was now harboring an unfortunately interested member, but he was hell bent on ignoring it until he got to the bottom of how his best friend had gotten a hold of those fucking sinful shorts. Showing that much of Kenma’s thighs in public should be illegal. But there they were, flexing and unflexing as Bokuto set a grueling pace for their squats. 

Tsukishima whispered back, looking slightly disturbed and maybe a little turned on, which was weird, because he usually only had a thing for his freckled best friend. “Those are Hinata’s. Kageyama made him promise not to wear them in public after the great nosebleed incident.” Akaashi and Kuroo didn’t even want to know what that meant, but damn they were silently thanking the Gods for Shoyou’s fashion sense and tendency to prefer women's shorts.

Akaashi swallowed around the lump in his throat. “I think he’s trying to kill us.” Oh, and it was working. He had no clue how Bokuto was managing to stand so close to Kenma without giving into the urge to just ravish the seemingly clueless dyed blonde. 

“If I were between those thighs, I think I’d die happily.” Kuroo grinned wolfishly. Beside him, Tsukishima made gagging sounds. “Do you think he’s wearing underwear?” 

Tsukishima raised a brow. “In shorts like those? He can’t be.” 

Then it happened - The Great Nosebleed Incident Part Two. 

Blood gushed from both Akaashi and Kuroo’s noses and they fell back on the floor with twin groans. It was official - Kenma was trying to kill them. There was no way someone could look like sex on legs without even trying. And fuck, Kuroo was sure that had been exactly it. Kenma wouldn’t have purposely dressed like that to save his life. 

They were so screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was that? Let me know!  
> Next update will be soon, I'm already working on it.


	3. It Hits The Fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when things were starting to feel so right, it all come crashing down around them.

They were halfway through free practice and Kuroo was ready to worship at the feet of whatever God had blessed him enough to let him see Kenma in those shorts. He simultaneously wanted to slaughter said deity because he’d never been so sexually frustrated in his entire life. Luckily they were moving around enough that no one seemed to be able to tell that he was harboring an unwanted guest in his pants, though he thought Akaashi or Bokuto were probably in a similar situation to his own. 

It was just that every single time Kenma did a backwards set, his shirt rose up, exposing his stomach slightly, since the shorts rested so incredibly low on his hips. The first time he’d done it, Bokuto took a volleyball to the face because he was too busy staring at the setter and not the ball he was supposed to be spiking. 

Kenma, of course, had apologized profusely. He didn’t realize how distracting his little body was, and figured he’d just messed up the set. No matter how many times Bokuto and tried to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, the dyed blonde just wouldn’t accept it. Kuroo was left snickering at the whole situation as Akaashi retrieved an ice pack for the bruised side of Bokuto’s face. He’d probably have a nice black eye in the morning. 

Kenma had sat out a few rounds after that, just listening to Akaashi explain how to gauge exactly where each spiker would want their ball to be. Though it differed for everyone, it was fairly uncomplicated to figure it out based upon how high the spiker generally jumped, which areas were clear on the other side of the net, and some other stuff. 

Kuroo had stopped paying attention, because Kenma was _bent over_ hands on his knees in a resting position as he watched Akaashi set for Bokuto. Needless to say, practice was wasted on him after that, because Kuroo couldn’t get them image of those pale, milky thighs out of his head. 

He took a little extra time in the shower that night. 

 

 

The next few days continued strangely for Kenma. Every time he turned around, one of the trio was there. 

Kuroo leaned on him more than normal, though he hadn’t said anything more about his legs, which he was thankful for. But his best friend almost seemed more protective over him than usual, and Kenma was getting pretty frustrated by it. He couldn’t so much as sit with Shoyou without Kuroo questioning him about where he was going, what he was doing, when he was coming back. It was exhausting, but Kenma just accepted it in stride. He’d known Kuroo long enough to know that sometimes the older boy just got this way. 

Akaashi helped him more with his sets, never getting exasperated or annoyed with him. The man would just give him a smile that made his stomach fill with butterflies and his heart beat a mile a minute. He was just so tender and gentle, and really hands on. Like _really_ hands on. The other boy always had his hands on him somewhere, whether it was his arms or his hips, or at one point moving his legs to correct his stance. But each touch was gentle and sweet, leaving him wanting more. Most of the time, Akaashi’s touches made him blush, but when he smiled, the other setter looked at him like he was the most precious thing in the world. He’d never seen anyone look at him that way before. 

And Bokuto was just being the sweetest damn thing he’d ever met. He was always bouncing all over the place, telling Kenma how good his sets were getting. He’d also taken to making sure that he was eating correctly. He was always there, shoving another rice bowl in front of him or offering him another slice of watermelon. When he found out about Kenma’s obsession with apple pie, he’d almost tried to talk the cafeteria into making one, and idea which Kenma had to put down. Apple pie and intense training didn’t work that well together. Especially since Kenma had zero self control and was known to be able to eat an entire apple pie in one sitting on his own. 

He was actually off to meet the trio for their nightly training with Tsukishima when he was abruptly grabbed by Shoyou, who looked like he was full of dread. He’d never seen the little ball of sunshine look anything but excited, but there he was, looking as if the weight of the world was on his tiny shoulders. 

“Shoyou, what’s wrong?” He tipped his head to the side at the end of the sentence without really meaning to, it was a habit he’d picked up from Kuroo over the years. 

“Kenma, we need to talk.” The orange haired boy grabbed his hands, pulling him in the opposite direction of where they’d been going. “It’s really important, and it can’t wait.” Kenma would have argued, but with how worried his friend seemed, he couldn’t possibly abandon the boy to go practice. So he shot Kuroo a text, saying Shoyou needed him that night and left it at that. Which is how he ended up in a cramped storage closet with Shoyou looking like he’d just ran over a puppy in the parking lot.

“Where were you headed when I stopped you, Kenma?” Shoyou looked up at him, guilt clear in his eyes. It disturbed Kenma, making his stomach tighten in a sickening way. 

He shrugged in reply. “I was just going to practice with Kuroo and the guys.” 

“No!” Shoyou yelled suddenly before clasping his hands over his mouth and quieting down, he didn’t want anyone to find them in there. “No, Kenma, you _have_ to stay away from those three. They aren’t good people, not like you think they are.” 

That blindsided the pudding head, making his face screw up in confusion. “Shoyou, what are you talking about? Kuroo is my best friend, and Bo and Akaashi are really nice once you get to know them. Even Tsukishima isn’t that bad.” 

The look Shoyou threw him insinuated that he had a worse taste in friends than the ginger had thought. “You don’t understand. I overheard Bokuto and Akaashi talking to Kuroo earlier. They were saying really disturbing things, Kenma. Things about you.” 

Kenma was even more confused then. Kuroo would never talk about him behind his back. Not after everything they’d been through. They’d literally known each other since Kenma was still in diapers. “Shoyou, would you please get to the point? You aren’t making any sense.” 

“Kenma, I heard them talking about seducing you.” Shoyou replied in a hushed whisper. “To see who could kiss you first.” 

The whisper almost felt like someone had doused him in ice water. They’d been seducing him? Is that why Kuroo had been hanging all over him? And why Akaashi was helping him with his sets? Even Bokuto had been overly nice, boarder line flirty, with him, and he was supposed to be dating Kuro.

“Shoyou, you can’t be serious.” Kenma’s voice was laced with disbelief, hands clenched at his sides. Kuroo wouldn’t do that to him. He wouldn’t flirt with him just as a stupid competition. Akaashi was also too nice to do something like that. Bokuto wasn’t devious enough to come up with that idea on his own though. 

“Kenma, I’d never lie to you.” Shoyou gripped Kenma’s shoulders, being careful not to hurt him. “One of them was trying to back out, but… but Kuroo said they said they were just worried about losing.” 

Kenma could believe that bit. Kuroo was extremely competitive once someone got him going. An ache burned in his chest, making him feel like he was going to puke. This couldn’t be happening. Not after he’d actually started falling for him. Could those adoring looks from Bokuto and Akaashi be fake? Or Kuroo’s blinding smiles he’d been giving him? For some reason, this all made more sense than the three of those gorgeous boys actually liking him.

“I believe you Shoyou.” He answered finally, voice low and level. 

“What are we going to do about it, Kenma? Do you want me to talk to them?” Shoyou had never seen Kenma with his eyes so dull, the pudding head almost looked like a zombie. It terrified him, until the tears started. Then the look just tore him apart. 

“I’m going to kill them, Shoyou…” He whispered into Hinata’s chest as the boy pulled him close, hand stroking through his hair. The pain in his chest was quickly turning to anger - a problem only Kuroo knew about. When Kenma got upset, he usually exploded in anger before breaking down. And that’s exactly what was happening now. 

He pulled away from the ginger after what seemed like ages, turning away from his friend. “Thank you for telling me, Shoyou.” 

“Kenma?” But the dyed blonde was already gone, door slamming shut behind him. Kenma was on a rampage, and nothing would stop him now. 

 

 

Hinata wasn’t supposed to overhear them talking about the bet. Not when they’d been so close to just calling the whole thing off. The situation had gotten complicated, no one was willing to keep going if it was going to end badly and potentially hurt Kenma. Unfortunately, the universe hadn’t agreed with them. Akaashi was sure this was karma deciding it was done with their bullshit. 

Akaashi hadn’t meant to take it as far as Bokuto and Kuroo had, but the more time he spent with Kenma, the more smitten he became. The pudding head was just irresistible and Akaashi knew he wasn’t even trying. The blushes, the secret smiles, god he wasn’t sure the kid could get any cuter. But then more feelings, ones he hadn’t expected were blindsiding him as he got a closer look into Bokuto and Kuroo’s relationship. They were both just so… perfect. Kuroo had a rough exterior, but it was clear that he had the softest heart of them all deep down, he was just afraid of showing it. He didn’t want to get hurt. And Bokuto… well, Akaashi had liked Bo for a while, but he’d never let himself admit how the hyperactive teen effected him. But it was all getting to be too much to ignore. 

Bokuto was having similar feelings, though he was quickly becoming very worried about hurting Kenma if things with their bet went south. He hated hurting people, especially people as innocent as Kenma. But it was more than that; with every laugh, blush, and sarcastic comment, he was falling harder and harder for Kenma, which strained his current relationship with Kuroo. He loved the spiky haired man, but with Kenma ow taking up a place in his heart, it was hard for him to feel like Kuroo was enough anymore. On top of all that, his old crush on Akaashi was resurfacing again, leaving Bokuto distracted and confused with all the conflicting emotion whirling around inside his head. 

As for Kuroo? He’d always loved his best friend, all the way back to when they’d gotten pretend married on the playground when they were four and five. But Kenma had never seemed to be that into him, so when he met Bokuto and they hit if off, he only hesitated slightly before he started going out with him. And now he loved Bokuto and he loved Kenma and all these feelings for Akaashi, of all people, were springing up. He blamed it mostly on how tender and protective Akaashi was over Kenma, treating him like he was the most precious person he’d ever met. There was no way he was doing that purely for the competition, the emotions were too raw. Too real. 

And there they were, three idiots who’d not only fallen for Kenma, but for some reason each other, too. Everything seemed great, then karma sent it all crashing back down via a ginger who couldn’t mind his own damn business. 

 

 

They were cleaning up after another free practice. Tsukishima had joined the trio that day, but Kenma had texted Kuroo out of the blue that he was training with Shoyou that night, something about the ginger needing to show him something. So they hadn’t expected Kenma to duck into the gym while Tsuki was leaving, saying he had to meet Yamaguchi for dinner. 

Kuroo saw him first, noticing the dyed blonde’s teary red eyes and disbelieving expression immediately. “Kenma, what’s wrong?” He asked, walking over to his best friend quickly. Akaashi and Bokuto turned from where they’d been cleaning up the mess of volley balls on the floor just in time to see Kenma snap. 

“I don’t know, Testsurou. What’s wrong with me, you fucking bastard?” Then Kenma _pushed_ Kuroo, hard enough to send the unsuspecting captain to the floor. All Kuroo could do was stare up at his best friend in shock. 

“Kenma!” Akaashi dropped the ball he was holding, as did Bokuto, and the pair ran across the gym, shocked at the sudden turn of events. “Kenma, what’s wrong with you?” Akaashi asked softly, touching the upset blonde’s shoulder gently. 

Bokuto helped Kuroo back to his feet. Nekoma’s captain was still staring at Kenma in shock. The pudding head had alway had a bad habit of hitting people when they were being stupid, but he’d never seen Kenma act so violently unprovoked. 

Kenma shoved Akaashi’s hand away from him roughly. “Were you in on it too, Akaashi?” His voice quivered, almost like he just couldn’t believe it. “I bet you all thought it would be easy, making me fall for you so you could steal my first kiss, then laugh about it with each other behind my back.” Three jaws simultaneously dropped.

“Kenma, it wasn’t like that!” Bokuto was distraught. He’d never thought about it that way, but Kenma did have a point. They had been competing between each other to see who could get Kenma’s first kiss… they hadn’t even considered just asking the boy how he felt about them. 

“ _Liar_!” Kenma was yelling then, furiously wiping at the tears that started streaming down his cheeks. He didn’t want to give those three the satisfaction of seeing him cry, but he just couldn’t help it. He’d never felt so hurt in his entire life. 

Kuroo felt like he’d been stabbed in the gut. Seeing Kenma cry hurt more than anything in the world. Bokuto felt like his heart was stuck in his throat, choking him. There was so much he wanted to say, but it was like, no matter how much he opened his mouth, nothing came out. And Akaashi? He was devastated. This was the kind of thing he’d been trying to prevent from happening, but in the end, he’d gotten distracted by his feelings for Kenma. He’d only made the whole thing worse. 

“And, you know, it worked. Gods, it worked because I fell so _hard_ for the three of you.” Kenma’s following laugh wasn’t like his usual, heart warming chuckle. Self disgust was thick in the sound, as if he was laughing at how stupid he had been. “I should have realized that someone like me could never be liked by someone like you. One hot guy? That should have been surprizing. But three… I’m so fucking stupid. Thanks for reminding me of my place.” 

Kuroo grabbed him then, nails biting into Kenma’s shoulders through the shirt, hard enough to leave bruises later. Then he was shaking him as Kenma pushed and pounded against his chest, but Kuroo was hell bent on not letting him go. “We do like you, Kenma! That’s the whole fucking point of this, you dense idiot!” 

“You were supposed to be my best friend, you son of a bitch.” Kenma yelled, hitting Kuroo’s chest particularly hard. “If you cared about me, why didn’t you fucking say something? Because you don’t! You just want to use me and throw me away like another one of your fucking toys.” 

“I am your best friend, if you would just listen to me!” Kuroo yelled back, fighting the urge to hit Kenma back. He was bigger than the dyed blonde, he might hurt him if he did that. 

All four of them jumped when the gym door slammed open, Daichi and Sugawara both rushing in, having heard the commotion from outside. 

“What the hell is going on here?” Daichi demanded, walking directly passed where Bokuto and Akaashi had been watching the screaming match, not knowing what they could possibly do. He gripped Kuroo by the shoulder, tearing the taller man away from Kenma. “Get your hands off of him.” Karasuno secretly all referred to him as Dad, mostly because he had to tolerance for bullshit and a protective streak only matched by Sugawara. 

“This is none of your business, Daichi.” Kuroo turned on the other captain, eyes narrowed. He wasn’t scared of Daichi, though he probably should have been, with the mood the man was in. 

“Daichi, this isn’t what it looks like.” Bokuto butted in, but it was followed immediately by Akaashi. 

“Bo, it’s exactly what it looks like.” They’d fucked up. They hurt Kenma. All of this was their fault. His throat tightened at the idea. Akaashi felt like he couldn’t breathe. He wanted so badly for this not to have happened. So much for saving Kenma from Bokuto and Kuroo. 

Suga pulled the crying blonde to his chest. Kenma was past his initial fury, he just wanted to go back to the room and curl up in his blanket and die. How could Kuroo do something like this to him? After all they’d been through. And Akaashi and Bokuto… he stupidly thought they were better than that. He’d stupidly thought that he was good enough for any of them. 

Suga wasn’t about to let him go back to the room Nekoma was currently occupying, though. Not after what they’d walked in on. “Daichi, I’m taking him back to our room, then I’ll call his coach.” With ease, he picked up Kenma, looping the smaller boy’s legs around his waist to help support him. He was only barely holding back the anger that was boiling in his stomach. 

“That’s really not necessary. Give me my best friend back.” Kuroo whipped around from where he’d been staring down Daichi, his sights now set on Suga. Little did he know that Suga was a momma bear, and Kenma was now one of his adopted cubs. 

“Because you haven’t made him cry enough?!” Suga handed Kenma over to Daichi as his anger finally boiled over, and then he was chest to chest with Kuroo, poking him hard as he spoke venomously. “I don’t know what you did to that kid, but if you ever hurt him again, I will personally tear your throat out with my teeth.” Daichi looked like he was going to step in when Suga turned on Bokuto and Akaashi, who looked like they were watching a train wreck unfold. “Were you two a part of this?” 

“Unfortunately.” Akaashi mumbled, averting his gaze. When he felt bad about things, he had a tendency to just shut in on himself. And he did feel bad. He knew there was nothing he could say to Kenma to make this any better. 

“Suga-san, we didn’t mean to hurt him, honest!” Bokuto had finally found his voice again, and he turned in Kenma’s direction, looking much like a beaten puppy. “Kenma, I never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t! This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen.” He whined, but Akaashi put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. 

“Bo, it’s not the time for this, let’s get out of here.” Akaashi spoke softly, taking his team mate’s arm. 

“But Akaashi! We can’t just-” 

“Bokuto, now.” Akaashi pulled the silver haired boy away without pausing. He did look back at Kenma, though. “I really am sorry.” But then the pair had left the gym, supposedly to go back to the room their team was staying in. 

Kuroo looked like he was going to say something else, but instead, he just turned on his heel and stormed out behind Akaashi and Bokuto. He had nothing left to say. A million apologies and explanations could never make this better. He’d fucked up, and now he’d lost Kenma. His best friend since forever. It wouldn’t surprize him if he’d lost Bokuto too. Everything had just gone to shit. 

Kenma stayed in Karasuno’s room that night, tucked between Daichi and Sugawara, Hinata curled up beside his head. He didn’t know what he was going to do tomorrow… but he never wanted to see Kuroo again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.   
> It'll get better.   
> Sorry.


	4. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our four boys are left to deal with the aftermath of the fight they had the night before. And for Kuroo? That means dealing with Yaku.

Kuroo wasn’t sure what he was expecting to happen when he woke up, but Yaku knocking the hell out of him wasn’t on the list of things he thought would happen. He was left in a daze as Lev grabbed Yaku from behind, hoisting the small libero into the air. This only seemed to enrage the short boy more, his eyes narrowing to slits. 

“Put me down, he deserves this, Lev!” The fiery third year kicked against the first year, which would no doubt leave bruises along Lev’s legs. The grey haired boy shook his head though, keeping a tight grip on his senior. 

“What’s going on? Yaku, this isn’t like you.” Sure, everyone knew that Yaku had violent tendencies, but he usually just kicked people, not attack them while they’re sleeping. Quite frankly, the amount of rage coming from Yaku scared Lev, he’d never seen the older boy act like this before. And he’d pissed off Yaku plenty of times, especially when he mentioned his height, or anything else that he happened to be sensitive about.

Kuroo stood from where he’d been laying, rubbing the side of his face tenderly. He knew it was going to bruise up later - a visual reminder of how bad he’d fucked everything up, not just with Kenma, but with his whole team. Yaku wouldn’t ever forgive him for this. He was too protective of their teammates to ever let something like this go. 

“How about you ask him why Kenma didn’t come back last night!” Lev’s eyebrows knit together at Yaku’s accusation. Come to think of it, he’d been too tired to notice that Kenma hadn’t come in at all last night. “Ask him why Sugawara showed up early this morning to get some clean clothes for him because Kenma refused to be in the same room as Kuroo!” And with that, Lev dropped the libero. Yaku landed on his feet, as any good cat would. Kuroo wouldn’t look at him, though, shame coming off him in waves. 

“I’m so disgusted with you.” The shove had the captain stumbling back and he looked up with just enough time to see Yaku abandon their team’s room. 

“Kuroo, what did you do?” Lev finally asked, voice full of confusion and disbelief. Kuroo would never hurt Kenma.. that just didn’t seem possible to him. The pair had always been inseparable, there just wasn’t a Kuroo without Kenma.

Kuroo didn’t want to answer that. To answer Lev’s question, he’d have to admit out loud how badly he’d screwed everything up. He knew from the beginning the whole bet thing hadn’t been the best idea. Seduce Kenma? Steal his first kiss? What the hell had he been thinking? 

Maybe it was that Kenma had been getting close to other people, making more friends. Maybe he’d thought that making the younger boy fall in love with him would keep him away from all those other people. Maybe he was jealous. But he wasn’t going to say that out loud. Definitely not Lev and his loud mouth. No. He’d messed up. He’d lost Kenma. His best friend ever since they were kids, the one person he loved more than even Bokuto. 

God, he was so stupid. 

“Kuroo?” Lev tried again. 

“Why don’t you just ask Yaku. He seems to know everyone’s business anyways.” Kuroo huffed, grabbing his duffle bag and tossing it over his shoulder, heading to the washroom to get ready for the day. He just wasn’t ready to face his team and their accusing looks yet. He didn’t doubt for a moment that Yaku would fill them in on the situation. 

 

 

It took a lot of convincing for Akaashi to get Bokuto out of bed that morning. The silver haired captain just kept going on and on about how he didn’t deserve to live anymore after what he’d done. He was devastated about how things had turned out with Kenma. Akaashi knew that he’d fallen for Kenma, himself, but he was starting to realize just how far Bokuto had fallen for Nekoma’s setter. 

Bokuto wasn’t the type to just fall in love all willy nilly either; but when he fell, he fell had and he fell fast. He couldn’t just let go of Kenma like nothing had ever happened. Akaashi doubted he’d forget how the dyed blonde had laughed and smiled at them - gods those moments had been more precious to him than he’d ever want to admit. 

But, eventually, Akaashi managed to get an unwilling Bokuto out of bed and dressed. He was already telling Akaashi not to toss to him for the day, that he couldn’t handle it, that he wasn’t good enough to deserve those perfect tosses. Akaashi assured him multiple times that everything was going to be fine, that he was good enough, that he needed to pull himself together for the team, but in the end, he’d had to agree to not toss to Bokuto during their games. 

It was breakfast when the pair first saw Kenma. They’d taken their normal seat next to Kuroo, though the trio weren't really talking to each other. Akaashi noted that Bokuto did lean on Kuroo’s shoulder and the other captain just let him without indicating that he’d even noticed. Their relationship was so easy because they both understood what the other needed. They had each other’s backs and supported each other, but that left Akaashi feeling really alone. 

Usually, he didn’t mind how the couple were all over each other, but with the feelings he’d formed both for them and Kenma, just to have everything torn away… Akaashi didn’t think he’d ever felt more alone. He wanted to be able to rest against one of them, to feel their firm body against his own and to just know that, in spite of what happened, he still had someone that loved him unconditionally. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t belong pressed against Bokuto’s side, or beneath Kuroo’s warm, strong arms. He’d never feel the tender touches Bokuto reserved for Kuroo, the one’s that made the bedhead look like he was on cloud nine and nothing bad could ever touch him. He’d never be worthy of those secret kissed Kuroo pressed to the back of Bokuto’s neck when he thought no one was looking. 

It hurt to remind himself that he wasn’t supposed to fall for them. None of this could have turned out the way he wanted it too. He’d been too greedy, falling for Bokuto, Kuroo, and Kenma. 

In the end, it felt like he’d lost them all. 

 

 

Kenma had been trying not to watch them from across the dining hall. He was tucked between Sugawara and Daichi, feeling rather safe with Yaku sitting across from him. The other players seemed to form a protective wall around him. But he couldn’t help watching the trio from over Yaku’s shoulder. 

Bokuto looked subdued, while Akaashi just looked like a void, empty shell of himself. Kuroo was quirt, a bruise forming on his left cheek. It was fist sized, but Kenma was sure he hadn’t done that himself. Needless to say, they weren’t their normal, rambunctious selves, which made Kenma feel pleased, but a large pit was forming in the bottom of his stomach, making him feel nauseous as he remembered how the past few days had been. Before he screamed at him. Before he’d lost his best friend. 

Kuroo’s smile seemed just a little bit brighter those days, and the familiar feeling of the weight of his body pressing against his back had felt like so much more than the hugs he’d been giving since they were kids, like they were something special. Something more. Then there’d been the excited, bone crushing hugs he’d been getting from Bokuto. The one’s that pulled his feet from the ground and instinctively made him laugh, because Bokuto’s excitement was pretty contagious. Akaashi’s hugs had almost ranked as the best, though. They were so rare, and his arms usually went around Kenma’s waist, pulling their chests together in such a tender way. Akaashi was just tall enough to tuck his head right on top of his, making him feel protected. Like no one in the world could touch them. 

And god, he missed those hugs. All three of them. He almost regretted not letting the trio explain themselves the night before… but he wasn’t ready to forgive them yet. Even with how much he found himself missing them, he couldn’t let them think that everything could go back to the way it had been before he’d found out just why they’d been being so nice to him. 

He couldn’t forgive them until they proved there was something to be forgiven. 

Kenma needed them to prove that, even if the whole thing started as a bet, they actually cared for him. 

 

 

The first game between Nekoma and Fukuroudani didn’t take place until just before lunch. Kenma had been missing his spikes a lot that day, and Kuroo hadn’t been much better. People got through his blocks right and left. Yaku gave him a swift kick in the ass to try to get him back into gear, but it only had minimal success. The blood wasn’t flowing right through the body that was Nekoma, therefore their brain wasn’t working too well. 

Akaashi wasn’t having that much success with his team, either. Bokuto had just started allowing him to toss to him again, so they were starting to get their game on again. But when they stood in front of Kenma, who’d still refused to talk to anyone except Yaku, he felt the breaks being thrown back on by Bokuto. 

There was no stopping the game, though, and as the whistle was blown, the battle of the supporting members of the two teams began. The ball went back and forth, never hitting the ground because the star players weren’t even trying to force it to. When it eventually hit the ground, the points still stayed pretty even, going back and forth. 

Forcing himself to pay attention was exhausting for Kenma. He just wanted the game to hurry up and be over so he could spend lunch with Shoyou and Kageyama, who’d said they’d take up where Daichi and Sugawara had left off. He appreciated what Karasuno was doing for him, acting like an impromptu family after his had been viciously torn apart. 

He didn’t know how he’d ever be able to thank them enough. 

With the distractions swimming through his brain, he probably shouldn’t have been surprised when he felt the hard contact of the ball slamming into the back of his head. Pain exploded from the impact, stars dancing in his eyes as he stumbled forward. The last thing he heard before he hit the ground were three voices yelling his name. 

The impact of the ball hitting him hadn’t been enough to knock him out, but the loud slam as his head hit the gym floor sent him into the drifty black world of unconsciousness. 

Bokuto had never been so terrified in his life as he watched Kenma hit the ground. Tiny, gentle Kenma. He hadn’t even noticed he was yelling the boy’s name until he felt the word tear from his throat. He felt frozen in place as he watched Akaashi dash across the court, sliding on his padded knees underneath the net to reach Kenma’s side at the same time Kuroo did. 

Bo would have swore it felt like his heart had beat it’s way up his chest to lodge in his throat, making it hard for him to breathe as he watched the coaches and other players surround Kenma’s fallen body. He had no right to spike the ball in the small setter’s direction, especially when he knew the boy had been having a hard time paying attention. But there’d been a hole in the defense where Nekoma’s setter was. He hadn’t meant to actually hit the boy with the ball. 

“What the hell, Bokuto!” Nekoma’s libero was suddenly in front of him, shoving him back. “Didn’t hurt him enough by breaking his heart, you had to go and break his head too, huh?” Yaku accused. Bokuto felt tears filling his eyes and he shook his head. 

“N-no! I’d never hurt Kenma on purpose!” Bokuto yelled back, feeling his heart break just a little bit more. He wasn’t usually one to cry, but that day had just been all too much. Kuroo hadn’t been talking to him, Akaashi only spoke to him long enough to tell him to pull his head out of his ass, and Kenma… if Kenma hadn’t hated him before, he surely would now. 

Yaku didn’t back down, though. He was too much like Suga to do so. Kenma was like one of his children, and he’d defend him against anyone. “No, you’d just use him, wouldn’t you? Make him feel like he’s good enough and then totally destroy him. I’m so glad you’re graduating this year. After the tournament, he’ll never have to see your face again.” 

Kuroo, thankfully, finally saw what was happening. With Kenma in the safe care of the coaches, he left his side, grabbing Yaku’s shoulder from behind. “You have no clue what you’re talking about. Leave him alone.” The captain growled, and Yaku turned on him. 

“Oh, of course, mighty captain.” Yaku stepped up into Kuroo’s space, intimidating for someone so short. “I forgot breaking Kenma’s heart three different ways was a captain sanctioned event. Pardon me, I’ll leave you two alone to be trash together.” He tore the jersey off over his head, throwing it at Kuroo as he stormed off in just his undershirt and shorts. 

“Yaku! Get back here.” Kuroo demanded, but the libero just looked back and shook his head. 

“Oh, go fuck yourself, Kuroo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Remember when I said it'd get better? I didn't mean immediately, sorry.


	5. A Big Fat Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapped lips find their way to a pair they definitely have never kissed before.

The silence outside the infirmary was so thick, Akaashi felt like he could have physically cut it with a knife. The trio had been barred from actually hanging out inside, sitting next to Kenma’s bed as they waited for him to wake up, but none of them intended on leaving until after the little setter woke up again. Kenma had already been awake once - the coaches had managed to get him up and standing after a frightening few minutes on the court. Luckily, they had an onsite nurse, who was going to watch after him since it was highly probable that the small boy had a concussion. Kuroo was kind of confused by the fact that they hadn’t taken Kenma to a hospital, but apparently they didn’t think much damage had been done. Not that any of the coaches were doctors, but he wasn’t about to fight with them when he could be up by the nurse’s office, waiting for Kenma to be released. 

They sat in silence, Akaashi with his knees pulled up against his chest, hugging them there as he rested his chin on top of his boney knees. Bokuto had been sitting in a similar fashion, but he soon found that the overly emotional captain was now burying himself into Kuroo’s arms. Akaashi hated the way his stomach twisted, his heart wanting so badly for what he couldn’t have. He’d give anything to feel a pair of those strong, sturdy arms around him. To hear Kuroo murmuring in his ear that everything was going to be okay, like he was doing for Bokuto. 

He just couldn’t stand it anymore. “Can you two just give it a rest with the whole snuggly love bird crap?” Akaashi snapped, causing the couple to look at him with wide eyes. It wasn’t rare that Akaashi snapped at people for no reason. Slowly, they untangled themselves, Bokuto moving to lean into Akaashi. 

He rested his chest against the younger boy’s side, leaning in close to his face, which involuntarily made the setter blush lightly. “What’s wrong, ‘Kaashi? We were just sitting.” 

But Bokuto was close, he could feel the older boy’s warm breath against his cheeks. And Akaashi… he was full of all these pent up emotions. The rekindling crush he had on Bokuto, the newfound feelings for Kuroo, the fear and passion he had for Kenma. He just felt so overwhelmed and Bokuto was looking at him with those worried eyes. 

Akaashi hadn’t realized he was leaning forward, pressing their lips together in a chaste kiss until after he was already doing it. Bokuto’s mouth was warm against his own, but it only lingered for a second before his best friend was scrambling back, golden eyes wide with shock. Akaashi clamped a hand over his own mouth then, hopping up from where he’d been sitting, but Kuroo was already on his feet. 

“What the hell was that about, Keiji?” Akaashi had never really felt intimidated by Kuroo before, but with the taller man looming over him, backing him into the wall, he felt his heart stutter in his chest. No, this wasn’t supposed to be happening. Warm hands clamped down on his shoulders, pressing his back into the cold, concrete bricks. “As I’m sure you noticed, Bokuto is _my_ boyfriend.” Kuroo leaned in close, eyes narrowed dangerously. Akaashi almost wanted to cry then, and he wasn’t really the type to cry. “That means the only person who gets to kiss him is me.” 

“Kuroo, it’s fine.” Akaashi heard Bokuto say from the sidelines, though his voice still held an air of confusion, like he was trying to figure out just why Akaashi had kissed him. Truthfully, even the setter didn’t fully understand why he did that. But Kuroo still didn’t let go, hands grasping the shoulders tighter, making Akaashi gasp softly in pain. “Kuroo! You’re hurting him.” The seemed to snap the cat captain out of it and he loosened his grip on Akaashi. 

“Sorry, I just-” 

Akaashi shook his head, cutting off the older boy. “No, you’re right. I shouldn’t have done that.” He glanced to the side, having to peek over Kuroo’s shoulder a bit. “I’m sorry, Bo. I don’t know what came over me.” His captain nodded, bashfully rubbing at the back of his head, as if he was the one that had done something wrong. 

Kuroo finally let him go, taking a step back. The bedhead looked troubled, like his brain was moving a mile a minute - because it was. He was so conflicted by that one damn kiss. He hid it well, but pushing Akaashi against that wall hadn’t just been about anger. Really, the kiss hadn’t pissed him off nearly as much as it would have had it been someone else. Like Tsukishima or Yaku. No, he’d been jealous. 

And not over Bokuto. 

No, he’d been jealous because he wanted Akaashi’s plush looking lips against his own, to taste that stupid freaking chapstick the boy applied after every meal religiously. He wanted to shove him into the wall and ravish him until Akaashi forgot who Bokuto even was. And that really terrified him. He shouldn’t be having these feelings for Akaashi, not when he was so in love with Bokuto… not when he was still dealing with his feelings for Kenma. 

And Bokuto? He was just upset because he liked the kiss and he liked Akaashi and he liked Kenma, but he really _loved_ Kuroo. He felt like he was cheating on his boyfriend or something, with all these feelings piling up inside him. He felt like his head was just going to explode. He shouldn’t have wanted the kiss, even lingering for the second he had wasn’t right. 

Somehow, he felt like he’d just cheated on Kuroo, even though all three of them knew that, clearly, Akaashi had kissed him. And he pulled away. But he still wanted more, so clearly, the kiss had meant more to him than what it should have. 

Akaashi ran a stressed hand over his face and through his messy black hair. What was he doing with his life? First the thing with Kenma, and breaking his heart, and now he was kissing Bokuto, in front of Kuroo of all people. God, he was sick. Everything was fucked. He just wanted to go home and sleep for a hundred years. Hopefully, by then, this entire mess would be over.

Suddenly, he felt his back hit the wall again - hard. A strong hand cupped his cheek, guiding his lips into a kiss that was nowhere near gentle. The gasp from across the hall was clearly Bokuto’s, meaning the lips that were punishing his own so roughly had to belong to Kuroo. Kuroo who was just mad at him for kissing Bokuto now couldn’t seem to keep his hands off of him. 

His brain quickly went from overwhelmingly pleased to alarmed, and he shoved Kuroo off of him roughly, causing the cat captain to stumble back. The hall was silent again as the three looked between each other. The tension was back, but at the same time everything had changed. Bokuto was looking at Kuroo, but not in a betrayed way like the other two had expected, but like he was deep in thought. 

“Bokuto, I-” Kuroo started, but Bokuto held up a hand to stop him. 

“No, do it again.” Bokuto’s voice was firm, leaving no room for argument, not that Kuroo really wanted to argue at this point. No, there were other things he’d much rather be doing right then. 

“Bo?” Akaashi’s voice was full of surprize, especially when Kuroo turned back to him, like he was going to do just as Bokuto had asked and kiss him. And he did. 

The lips on his own were gentle this time, though Akaashi could feel at little bits of chapped skin on Kuroo’s lips. He drew the line when Kuroo’s warm, wet tongue flicked out over his bottom lip in a little kitten lick. He pulled back, looking bewildered, feeling even more than bewildered. What the hell were they doing. 

“What are we doing?” He asked after a moment, shoulders hunching in on themselves. Gosh, Akaashi hadn’t felt this nervous in ages. He felt like his heart may thump it’s way right out of his chest at any given moment. The boyfriends looked between each other and Kuroo finally just sighed. 

“Look, I don’t know.” Kuroo sounded stressed, like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulder. Or maybe just the weight of his restless thoughts, Akaashi suspected. “Relieving the sexual tension?” 

Akaashi’s jaw dropped and he punched Kuroo in the arm. “If this is all about sex to you, then I don’t ever want you kissing me again, asshole!” 

“I wish people would stop calling me asshole.” Kuroo mumbled in a disgruntled fashion, rubbing his arm tenderly. “I’m not an asshole.” 

Bokuto butted in, his voice sounding a little bit shy for once, like he was afraid of what the reaction would be to what he was about to say. “Kuroo… maybe if you would just tell people how you actually feel for once, they wouldn’t think you were an asshole.” 

Kuroo’s head whipped around so fast, Akaashi and Bokuto were both scared he’d give himself whiplash. “I always talk about my feelings, Bo!” It was a blatantly lie. All three of the boys standing in the hallway knew that. 

“Okay, so the real reason you wanted to kiss Kenma is because you’re competitive and think you deserve to be his first kiss because you’ve been his best friend forever.” Akaashi started, hands coming to rest on his hips. “And the only reason you kissed me is because you think we have unresolved sexual tension?” His tone was incredulous, like he couldn’t believe that Kuroo thought they’d believe that crock of bullshit. 

He and Bokuto both knew him better than that. 

“Kuroo, just tell us how you really feel. It’s better for everyone that way.” Bokuto attempted to reason with him, just looking exasperated. Really, they all needed to get better at expressing how they felt about each other. And Kenma. Because they’d really fucked that all to hell. He still didn’t know how the boy would possibly forgive any of them. He tried to shove that to the back of his mind, but it didn’t quite work. His brain was just so full at the moment. 

Kuroo just stood there, looking two hundred percent frustrated and what Akaashi and Bokuto were asking of him. For him to just spill his feelings out in the open, where anyone could hear him. Where specifically those two could hear them. But with the looks, both so full of hope, that his boyfriend and semi-bestfriend kept throwing him, Kuroo didn’t last long before his walls crashed down around him, and words started spilling from his lips. Unfortunately, none of them noticed the door to the nurse’s office slide open. No one noticed the little dyed blonde peeking out at them, content to just listen for now. 

“No, Akaashi, I kissed you because I have all these fucking confusing thoughts and they’re just buzzing around inside my head because I never noticed you like this before. Never noticed how tender you can be, that special smile you reserve for when someone says something that makes you really happy.” Instead of making him nervous, it was like saying all of this was releasing the biggest pressure from his chest. “And then there’s the way you hugged Kenma, pressing his face into your chest like you could protect him from anything in the world. And some fucked up part of me wants that.” 

Kuroo couldn’t look at Bokuto, but that was fine, because the other captain was suddenly behind him, circling his arms around his waist and pressing his face into Kuroo’s shoulder, as if trying to tell him everything was alright. He wasn’t mad, or even upset. 

“Keep going, I’m not going anywhere.” Those words, murmured against his skin, were all Kuroo needed to release the flood gate once more. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I love Bokuto, with all of my heart. But when I look at you… God, Akaashi, when I look at you, I see everything Bokuto isn’t and for some reason it just feels like the two of us just aren’t complete without you here too. I’ve been fighting the urge all day to just pull you into my arms, like I’ve been doing for Bo. To tell you everything’s going to be alright, but that’s just so wrong, because you aren’t mine to have.” Kuroo sounded wrecked, and Akaashi couldn’t stand that. 

In two steps, he closed the distance between them, arms wrapping around Kuroo, just above Bokuto’s. 

“I can be yours to have… both of yours, if that’s what you really wanted.” Akaashi’s voice was soft, barely above a whisper. Still, their secret onlooker could hear him. Kenma’s heart was aching for all of them, but his thoughts swarmed, wondering just how he could possibly fit into this. 

Bokuto nodded against Kuroo’s shoulder. “I’ve always loved you, ‘Kaashi, you know that.” He didn’t need a big heartfelt speech, because reading Boku was like reading a picture book. Easy as pie. “But what about Kenma?” 

“Kenma…” Akaashi and Kuroo sighed in unison. Kenma tensed by the door as he heard his name, nervous about what they would say, but needing to hear it. He wanted to know what they’d say about him even when they thought he wasn’t there. 

“I’ve loved Kenma forever.” Kuroo murmured, shutting his eyes tightly. “Ever since we were kids, but he’s never even seemed into me like that. But, gods… if he’d let me, I’d take him into my arms and never let go. I thought… I thought maybe, if I could just kiss him, maybe he’d decide he wanted me like that” 

Akaashi nodded, but Bokuto spoke before the shorter boy could. “None of this feels right without him, you know?” He mumbled, hands stroking gently over Kuroo’s stomach. “He’s just always been there. With us. Even though he wasn’t like _with us_. He was so easy to fall for. With his secret smiles and witty tongue.” Kenma’s heart was beating fast in his chest and he clutched his shirt with one hand, as if that would make it stop and settle down. 

Akaashi chuckled then, licking his lips.”We’re so incredibly fucked up, guys.” They all had a little self depreciating laugh at that, because none of them could exactly argue that Akaashi was wrong. 

Kenma stepped forward then, letting the door to the nurse’s office shut behind him. He squirmed as there were suddenly three pairs of eyes on him. “I uh… I guess this means we probably need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU FOR ALL THE COMMENTS, LEAVE ME MORE PLEASEEEE.  
> Next chapter will probably be the last, but for you BokuAkaKuroKen fans, I have another multichapter fic in the works that I'm starting after Valentine's Day.


	6. Two Meters Worth of Legs, Haiba Lev?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys finally sit down and have their talk, but it takes the most bizarre turn.

The talk wasn’t easy for any of them. 

Bokuto stumbled over his words, explaining how he loved Kuroo, but he’d always had a crush on Akaashi. He told him how he first fell for those grey eyes when Akaashi showed up for try-outs his first year of high school. Of course, Akaashi himself had felt an immediate attraction to his loud-mouthed senpai, so he felt like an idiot for not realizing they liked each other sooner. Then he explained how he hadn’t really fallen for Kenma until that weekend. Sure, he’d always thought the dyed blonde was cute when he hung out with him and Kuroo, but there hadn’t been a spark for them until now. 

Kuroo tried to repeat his whole speech, but Kenma stopped him right as he began. 

“Quite frankly, the three of you are total idiots.” The dyed blonde mumbled, getting a shocked gasp from Bokuto and furrowed brows from Akaashi and Kuroo. 

“Kenma, we’re pouring our hearts out for you here, the least you can do is be polite.” Kuroo replied in a pouty tone, pulling one knee to his chest and hugging it there. 

“You get polite Kenma or honest Kenma, Kuroo. I can’t give you both right now.” Kenma snorted, rising from where he’d been sitting against the wall. Standing so quickly made his head sort of spin, but he stood still until it stopped again. “You three are idiots because you clearly don’t know how to communicate with other human beings. Jealous over Kenma? Let’s start a competition to see who can kiss him first. Fall in love with your best friend, even though he’s dating someone else, just _repress_ it and maybe it will go away. Fall in love with your best friend even though you’re dating someone already? Ignore it, or again, start a kissing contest. Like, really guys, what the fuck?” 

They all just sort of stared at Kenma, jaws hanging slack before they could pick them up off the floor. Kenma rarely talked much, so this was a sight to behold, never mind the fact that he was actually reaming their asses right now. 

Kenma sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Of all the people in the world, I had to fall in love with you three idiots. Do you think I could turn you guys in for a refund?” 

“Kenma!” Bokuto gasped. 

“Rude!” Kuroo scoffed right after him. 

Akaashi just shrugged. “I mean, you could probably return me, but I think the other two might be defective. They probably won’t take them back now.” 

“Akaashi!” 

“Rude!” 

Kenma couldn’t help but to laugh though, because the three were idiots, but they were his idiots. Akaashi had already agreed to be with Bokuto and Kuroo, even if he didn’t join them. But really? He couldn’t see himself being anywhere else. The whole kiss competition thing had been dumb, but it didn’t really matter anymore. It’s not like he even had a first kiss to give them. 

“I guess I have to keep you then, Akaashi.” Kenma sighed dramatically. “I don’t know if I can handle both of them on my own.” Then he found himself being crushed in a pair of strong arms, and another coming from behind him almost made him stumble onto the ground. The third pair of arms was far more gently, venturing to mess with his hair. He couldn’t help but to laugh. 

Akaashi was the first to pull back, but only so Bokuto and Kuroo could untangle themselves before they just totally squish Kenma to death. 

“So that means you’re in on… whatever this is?” Bokuto asked excitedly as he threw an arm around Kuroo’s neck, staring at Kenma. 

“I’d call it what it is - a polyamorous relationship.” Akaashi noted, arms folding comfortably over his chest. 

“Yeah! The polyama… whatever he said.” Kuroo grinned widely, and Kenma had never been able to refuse that smile. It was a problem he’d had ever since they were kids, and part of the reason why he played volleyball. 

With a roll of his eyes and a long suffering sigh, Kenma nodded. “Yeah, I’m in.” And then two bodies collided with his again, almost knocking him to the floor. Now he was feeling thoroughly squished, like Bokuto and Kuroo might actually squeeze all the organs right out of his body. 

“Guys! Be gentle with him. He already has a concussion.” Akaashi reminded them, and Bokuto hopped back, eyes wide. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry about that, Kenma. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Bokuto suddenly looked very upset with himself, emotions turning on a dime. He’d almost forgotten how he’d spiked the volleyball into the back of Kenma’s head. “Please forgive me.” He whimpered out, hands yanking through his silver hair. Akaashi was starting to wonder if that was how he kept his hair standing up all the time… except, he knew just how much product Bokuto carried around with him. He had at least three containers of hair wax in his luggage, and no less than four cans of hairspray. 

Kenma sighed, hand stroking over Bokuto’s shoulder. “You act like you’re the first person in this hallway to give me a concussion.” Kenma side-eyed Kuroo hard, making the tall captain gulp and rub the back of his head bashfully. 

Kuroo jumped in though, trying to soothe his boyfriend. “Yeah, one time I was giving Kenma a piggy back ride in the fourth grade and totally just dropped him right on his head.” He chuckled nervously before continuing. “There was blood everywhere, I totally thought I’d killed him. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.” 

Kenma nodded, touching the back of his head at the memory, wincing at the new bump that was there. “Yeah, he busted my head open. I have the scars to prove it.” 

Bokuto was suddenly looking much better - at least he hadn’t made Kenma bleed all over the place. And it was just an accident, with the ball and all. He’d just gotten too into playing. Akaashi looked physically relieved at how fast his captain bounce back. Bokuto’s emo mode was not what he wanted to deal with right then. 

“Okay! On to the more important thing, then!” Bokuto grinned widely. 

“More important than Kenma’s health?” Kuroo raised an eyebrow at the owl-like boy. 

“Uh, yeah.” Bokuto rolled eyes eyes before continuing. “Who gets your first kiss?” 

Akaashi but in then. “Don’t feel pressured to make a decision right now. None of us are going to be disappointed with who you pick.” 

Kenma bit his tongue before mumbling his reply. “Uh… Lev.” 

“ _Lev_?” Kuroo asked first, incredulously, as if to ask if he’d heard Kenma right, but before he could respond, Bokuto was there with his input.

“The self proclaimed Ace of Nekoma?” He sounded just as doubtful as Kuroo did. “ _Two meters worth of legs_? Haiba Lev?” 

Akaashi grimaced. “No offense, but he really wasn’t one of the options.” 

Kenma huffed, shoving his hands down in the pockets of his red Nekoma jacket. “It doesn’t matter if he was one of the options, because he already kissed me.” Bokuto looked as if his eyes were about to bug right out of his skull, while Akaashi just looked confused. Kuroo, however, was already half way down the hallway, hollering someone about tearing Lev’s lips right off of his face. 

Bokuto was heading after him shortly after that, and Kenma really didn’t have the energy to try and stop them. Akaashi however, just raised a brow at him, as if it ask for an explanation of the bomb he’d just dropped on all of them. At least he had one rational boyfriend, Kenma thought, though it was weird that he had three of them at all. He sure he’d get used to it, eventually. 

Kenma sighed, slipping back down the wall to sit on the floor, exhausted from standing for so long. His head was still bothering him, making him feel fatigued and like he really just wanted a lap. Akaashi sat beside him, only hesitating a moment before pulling Kenma down to lean on him. 

“Lev said he kissed me so that Kuroo would stop being so ridiculous about everything. He figured it was just about the kiss, so everything would go back to normal after someone kissed me.” Kenma had to snort at that. “So he kissed me, this morning after breakfast.” 

Akaashi didn’t even know what to say about that, but he did laugh softly. “Okay, sounds… helpful, I guess..” Kenma just shrugged in reply. 

“Only, he explained all of that _after_ he kissed me… so I may have punched him.” Kenma shrugged. “He deserved it, just walking up to me and dipping me like some wispy princess in a fairytale. Why the hell does everyone think I’m some kind of damsel in distress? I’m not a damsel, and I’m not in distress.” He huffed. 

Akaashi tried not to laugh, but he really couldn’t help it, the slightly obnoxious sound not really matching the rest of his gorgeous self. “He dipped you? And you punched him?” He almost wished he could have been there. It must have been quite the scene. “Wait, if you punched him, then how come his face wasn’t bruised or anything?” 

Kenma turned to Akaashi with a slightly dangerous look. “I never said I punched him in the face.” 

Akaashi both did and really didn’t want to know where Kenma had hit him. In the end, he thought it may just be better to leave that little detail unknown. 

 

 

It didn’t take Bokuto and Kuroo too long to hunt down Lev. The self proclaimed ace was hanging out in the room reserved as Nekoma’s sleeping quarters, reading some kind of magazine. His hair was still wet from the shower, the light silvery white mass hanging down in his bright green eyes. He seemed kind of shocked when the pair burst in the room though, anger wafting off of them in waves. It only took nanoseconds for him to realize just what they were so furious about. 

He scrambled up from the floor, only to be cornered against the wall by the two captains. 

“Tell me, Lev… how was Kenma’s first kiss?” Kuroo purred, voice seemingly soft, if one could ignore the hard edge of displeasure at the end of the question. 

He swallowed hard, attempting to feign innocence for now. “Kenma’s first kiss? I ahh… I have no clue what you’re talking about.” Lev scrunched himself back against the wall as far as he could get. He could still remember the hard punch to the gut Kenma had given him, but he could imagine that the two captains could punch harder. Judging by the size of Bokuto’s biceps - much harder. 

Bokuto leaned in, breath ghosting over Lev’s pale skin. “Mmmhm… that’s not what Kenma told us.” He rubbed a hand over Lev’s shoulder, firm, but not hard enough to hurt him. Yet. 

Lev, unfortunately, wasn’t hard to break at all. “Wait, wait, wait.” He gulped. “I uh, I did kiss Kenma. Please don’t hurt me!” He threw up his long, lanky arms, as if to protect his face. 

Kuroo cracked his knuckles, but unfortunately, the pair were too busy paying attention to Lev to notice the new presence in the room. Kuroo didn’t notice until his legs were knocked out from under him with a hard kick. 

“Can’t you two idiots go two minutes without harassing someone?” Yaku yelled, and Bokuto hit the floor next as the libero unleashed another one of his ungodly roundhouse kicks to the back of his legs. 

The pair groaned as they pushed themselves up off of the floor. Kuroo glared at Lev as he rubbed the back of his legs, Bokuto did the same, though he was pouting. 

“Never mind.” Kuroo grumbled. 

“You’re not even worth it.” Bokuto agreed, and the pair just pulled themselves from the room. They’d just have to settle with being Kenma’s next kisses. But strangely, they were fine with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all sooooo sososososo much for reading all the way to the end. I'm sorry it took me so long to post the final chapter, but near the end, I kind of lost my muse for this story. 
> 
> Let me know what you guys thought, I loved so much to read all of your comments and I do reply back to all of them (eventually). 
> 
> I do hope some of you will join me over on my other story - "Kisses like Meows" - it's another BokuAkaKuroKen, and I have a lot more planned for that one.
> 
> Again, thank you to all of you that stuck through to the end of this. You all really made writing this worth it. If you want to know more news about my fanfictions or just hit me up for whatever reason, you can find me over at "trash--universe" on tumblr.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave me questions and comments down below - I'll be sure to get back to you ASAP.  
> 


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